More than 3000 chief executives across Australia will soon receive a bottle of water in the post as part of a campaign to ensure women in the workplace are paid a fair wage.

DDB Sydney has teamed up with the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) to launch the “Equal Pay is in your hands” crusade that has seen the creation of a new brand of bottled water – Daughter Water.

The name is born out of research which claims when a CEO has a daughter, the pay gap between men and women shrinks.

A 30-second video hosted on micro site intyourhands.org.au tells how the water has been “scientifically” developed through a combination of “old wives tales to help CEOs have a baby girl”. A voiceover proclaims the Daughter Water as the “latest breakthrough in pay inequality”.

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The 3,000 CEO’s to receive the water have told the WGEA they have failed to undertake a gender pay gap analysis.

The microsite also publishes data to allow CEOs, HR directors and individuals see where companies stands on the issue, while emails can be sent to CEOs either praising their status or asking them to act.

DDB Sydney creative director Jen Speirs said: “We launched the campaign by asking the question can a drink close the pay gap? Weirdly, we believe it just might. Research shows that when a CEO has a baby daughter, the pay gap in their company shrinks. So let’s get more CEOs to have daughters. That’s where Daughter Water comes in. A drink “scientifically” designed to help CEOs conceive a girl.

“This may seem like a ridiculous product. But it’s no less ridiculous than having to wait for CEOs to have a baby girl before everyone’s given a fair go.”

WGEA public affairs executive director Yolanda Beattie described it as a “thought-provoking and disarming campaign” that takes the message of pay equity directly to CEOs.

“We are confident this campaign will provide the platform to start a national conversation on how gender bias impacts pay outcomes for women and ultimately change HR practices across Australian workplaces,” she said.

DDB Group Australia chief executive Andrew Little added: “In today’s landscape, many CEOs will be surprised a gender pay gap is still an issue. I certainly was. However with 73.7 per cent having never undertaken an analysis, it is clear that many are unaware of their current standing.

“At DDB we have completed phase one of the analysis and are keen to continue to work closely with the WGEA as we continue to implement our comprehensive diversity strategy.”